Aero Excellence™ International: enhancing supply chain resilience across borders
Yesterday at the Farnborough International Airshow, the aerospace and defence industries of the UK, France, and Germany announced they are joining forces to launch Aero Excellence™ International, a groundbreaking initiative for enhancing supply chain resilience through a new and universal standard of operational excellence.
Developed by the respective European national aerospace and defence associations – ADS (UK), GIFAS (France), and BDLI (Germany), all of which are members of ASD – Aero Excellence™ International builds on the Aero Excellence™ programme launched by GIFAS at the Paris Air Show in June 2023. The initiative’s expansion into the UK and Germany marks a significant step towards creating a cohesive, cross-border approach to supply chain improvement.
Aero Excellence™ International is designed to streamline evaluations and increase productivity, thereby strengthening supply chains and supporting the aerospace industry’s ramp-up. This standardised assessment of supply capability focuses on three core areas: operational excellence, environment, and cyber security. Companies can achieve bronze, silver, and gold status, fostering transparency, comparability, and quality across the industry.
Guillaume Faury, ASD President, GIFAS Chairman and CEO of Airbus, highlighted the initiative’s strategic importance:
"Aero Excellence™ International is designed to strengthen the operational, environmental and cyber excellence of our industries in order to meet future challenges and improve competitiveness. The aim is to establish a universal maturity benchmark recognised by the aeronautics, space and defence community. Aero Excellence™ has been operational in France since January 2024. It is now time for its internationalisation. Aero Excellence™ International, launched jointly with ADS and BDLI, is open to other countries. Let's make it a European standard that could be adopted worldwide!”
David Lockwood, ADS (UK) President and CEO of Babcock International Group, said:
"I am delighted that Aero Excellence™ will be coming to the UK. A united set of standards that has the support of both customers and suppliers in multiple countries will turbocharge efficiency and support supplier improvement activities for our businesses. Efficient and robust businesses across the supply chain will allow both customers and suppliers in the UK aerospace and defence sectors to thrive, while also becoming increasingly competitive in the global marketplace. The value of effective, efficient collaboration and trade between the industrial bases of the UK and its allies in this uncertain geopolitical environment also cannot be ignored. This programme is a vital part of expanding that collaboration. As we look to the future and navigate an increasingly complex global landscape, our partnership with GIFAS and BDLI will be instrumental in this journey, providing SMEs with the tools and insights to prosper.”
Dr Michael Schoellhorn, BDLI President and CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, said:
"We welcome Aero Excellence™ International as a promising contribution to the stabilisation of the supply chain. This is of particular importance at a time when our industry tackles the challenge of the ramp-up amidst increasing geostrategic risks. Initial trial runs of Aero Excellence™ in Germany give us confidence that the needs of all our businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, will be met and that we can establish a reliable, efficient, and universally accepted standard – while maintaining a balanced distribution of the costs. Given the spirit of collaboration among our three associations, Aero Excellence™ International has the potential to shape not just European but global supply chains for the better.”
Aero Excellence™ International represents a significant step forward in creating a resilient, efficient, and competitive aerospace and defence supply chain across Europe and beyond.